Going to go remember the day, by brewing Japanese sencha, in a Hagi yunomi, and Tokoname kyusu, all bought ( and likely made) in the past year. Those photos are almost haunting in certain respects. I forgot how terrifyingly complete the destruction was in some area's, leaving behind basically nothing but massive piles of rubble.

what i have taken to heart - not that nature brings tragedy uniquely to japan, we have seen this occur recently across the globe - is the profound understanding (for lack of a better word) in which i have heard how many japanese have responded over the past year. the human response to something so powerful must be powerful in itself, and the words i have heard have touched me deeply. it must come from a 1000 years of experience of this kind, but for me, it may be the only antidote to the great sadness of march 11, 2011.that and seeing how much has been accomplished in 365 days.

That's one of the things that absolutely blew me away. Especially that airport. It's amazing what can be done when people decide to work together.

What is even more amazing is how much was done by volunteers coming from other cities or help received. A lot of people were ready to help with work, money or with most essential things like food and cloth. Me and my wife helped out in a charity flea market in Nagasaki, many people came even in bad weather and on short notice.

Watching videos about tsunami still difficult to believe this actually happened and it's not just yet another movie about end of the world.

Chip wrote:Today marks the 1 year anniversary of the events of March 11, 2011. . . .

Lift your TeaCups in memory ... take a moment to reflect.

I did lift my Teacup yesterday in memory. GD Samantha Lyn is still in Japan and begins another year of assisting teachers of English as a Second Language. She has hooked up with a group that travels north to the tsunami zone from her area in Chiba to take supplies and set up soup kitchens, etc. a couple of times a month. She said the people are amazing.

Spring has sprung early here in the foothills of the Smokies in East Tennessee. A beautiful morning.